Last night, and continuing tonight, PBS is presenting another part of its great AMERICAN EXPERIENCE series on the Presidency, finally doing a four hour analysis of Bill Clinton, the man and the President.
As always, PBS does an excellent job, and so far, it brings back memories of the times of the 42nd President of the United States, the good and the bad, the ups and the downs, and the faces and memories that many of the American people would like to forget–the ugliness and nastiness of the right wing, led by Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, and even the mean Bob Dole and others, who set out to destroy the Presidency of Bill Clinton, failed in many ways, but crippled his ability to get things done, with him assisting them by his reckless personal behavior.
We have seen a sanitizing and whitewash of Bill Clinton, trying to idealize how great his times were. While the economy did soar, the partisanship on every bill reminds us very much of the times of Barack Obama, and actually, in many ways, the times of Jimmy Carter as well, in the late 1970s.
The idea that bipartisanship disappeared suddenly with the ascension of Barack Obama is refuted by the reality that conservatives and Republicans are really no different than they were under Carter and Clinton. It is just that with the new media and internet potential, much greater than under Carter and Clinton, the vicious attacks and obstructionism can be ever the greater.
It is amazing how human beings look back and glorify and romanticize the past, trying to forget the evil, divisive, obstructive behavior of those in opposition. But the difficult times we are going through now are really just more of the same, and the only answer is, unfortunately, that liberals and progressives must be as aggressive and activist in opposing the right wing media and the Republican Party, as they are truly the enemy of making America a better place for those who are not fortunate enough to have the power and wealth of the elite in our society.
If we act gentlemanly and ladylike, the result will be defeat and retreat. If we are going to see change and reform to better the vast majority of the American people, we will have to use, sadly, the tactics used by the other side.
This disturbs those who want a truce and a centrist response, but that will only help the right wing to accomplish its goals which are a danger to the American future!